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UNIVERSAL MUSIC AND VIDEO DISTRIBUTION NAMED DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR BY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RECORDING MERCHANDISERS

Santa Monica, California, March 24, 2003 - Universal Music and Video Distribution (UMVD), the sales and distribution arm of Universal Music Group (UMG), was named Distributor of the Year by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) at their 45th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, for the third consecutive year.

UMVD was selected for its outstanding distinction and achievement based on the following criteria: communication, marketing and promotion, employees and employee programs, standards of business dealings, order fulfillment, shipping and handling, support of industry programs and events, and awards and achievements received in the last twelve months. Finalists for the Distributor of the Year award were nominated by NARM members.

Jim Urie, President, Universal Music and Video Distribution, commented: "This is the third year in a row we’ve been recognized by the retail industry and we are very proud of this honor. This award is a testament to the remarkable talent, commitment and teamwork of our artists, labels and the more than 1,500 UMVD and Universal Manufacturing and Logistics employees that represent our sales, marketing and distribution teams, as well as the dedicated community of retailers who sell our records."

NARM is the not-for-profit trade association whose nearly 1000 member companies represent the retailers, wholesalers, and distributors of prerecorded music in the United States.

Universal Music and Video Distribution is a unit of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 63 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry’s largest global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, MCA Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Strategic Marketing & Commercial Affairs (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media and technologies division.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.